2 Peter 2:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

NIV: if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

NASB: and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

CSB: and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;

NLT: And God did not spare the ancient world — except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

KJV: And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

NKJV: and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

After revealing that God will bring judgment—condemnation and destruction—upon the false teachers in the church, Peter offers a list of historical examples to show that God does indeed judge those who rebel against Him.

The previous verse mentioned rebellious angels condemned to darkness and awaiting their judgment. Now Peter points to the great flood of Noah. In this fierce act of judgment, God destroyed every person in the entire ancient world, aside from Noah and his family (Genesis 6:1–8).

Why would God do such a thing? In addition to possessing great mercy and love, our God is a righteous judge. Genesis 6:5 says the world was in a catastrophic state of evil prior to the flood: "The LORD saw that wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

" But our God also saves. Noah is described as a preacher of righteousness. Instead of being done with humanity completely, God spared Noah and began again. It's important to note that, as he also did in 1 Peter 3:20, Peter affirms the flood of Noah as a historical event. Jesus, too, referenced Noah's flood. In fact, Jesus said that the world would be as it was in Noah's day when He returned (Matthew 24:36–44). Peter will also describe that day before the end of this letter.

2 Peter 2:1–9 describes false teachers who greedily spread lies about Christ’s authority. They encourage Christians to indulge in sexual sin. They pursue erotic desires in the open, are experts in greed, despise authority, live in bold arrogance, and blaspheme things they don’t understand. Peter assures that these deceivers will be punished for the harm they’ve caused. This includes leading people away from Christ and back into the sinful practices from which they had begun to escape. God did not spare sinful angels, or the wicked of Noah’s day, or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and will not spare these false teachers, either.

False teachers had entered the early community of Christians. These deceivers lied to the believers, challenging the authority of Jesus. They also invited others to indulge in their sexual sin. Sadly, there are still versions of these false teachers plaguing the modern Christian community. Peter harshly describes the sins of these ''cursed children,'' the eternal judgment waiting for them, and the tragic impact their deception is having on those enticed by them.

In chapter 1, Peter urged his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Peter now describes the false teachers in the church who were leading people away from a true understanding of Christ. These deceivers were lying to the believers and encouraging them to indulge in sexual sin. Peter promises that God’s judgment is coming on these ''cursed children'' and details the tragic impact their lies have on anyone who believes them.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.